Orlando Pirates Player Lorch’s 5-Year Jail Sentence Is Suspended and He Is Fined R100K

• Orlando Pirates midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch has been handed a five-year suspended jail sentence
• Lorch was also slapped with an R100 000 fine for assaulting his ex at the Randburg Magistrates' court on Tuesday, 21 November 2023
• Social media users shared their opinions on the matter, as some said he should be sent straight to prison

Orlando Pirates midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch has made headlines again. The star appeared at the Randburg Magistrates' court on Tuesday, 21 November 2023, and his final verdict to his assault case was given.

Lorch was handed a five-year suspended jail sentence

South African Football player Lorch tops the trending list on X, formerly known as Twitter. The star has been in and out of court regarding a case that his ex-girlfriend, Fundiswa Nokuphiwa Mathithibala, opened against him. The star was accused of assaulting the woman during their relationship.

Read also

Pupil stabs classmate to death over a chair in Cape Town, South Africans horrified

Thembinkosi was found guilty in June this year and was due for sentencing. On Tuesday, 21 November 2023, the final verdict was shared in court, and Thembinkosi was handed a five-year suspended jail sentence and was also slapped with an R100K fine for assaulting Fundiswa.

According to TheSouthAfrican, Lorch was ordered to pay the money to a GBV group called People Opposing Women Abuse. He was also ordered to pay half of the R100K on Tuesday and then pay R10 000 monthly to settle the whole amount.

Mzansi weighs in on Lorch's sentence

After the news of his sentence landed on social media, some netizens tweeted that they were unhappy with the verdict and that he was supposed to be sent straight to prison. See some of the comments below:

Read also

Shakira, Shakira: Latina superstar with tax woes

@JuiceTebogo said:

"That's not enough. Send him to prison, deduct 167 points from Orlando Pirates."

@KingTp95 wrote:

"They making a statement. I've never seen a first-time offender with a 3-year sentence it’s usually a year or 18 months. But GBV is a pandemic."

@just_carol8 unimpressed with the verdict:

"So not impressed. I guess SA still has a long way to go to deal with GBV, especially when found guilty. All those many postponements for such a sentence. I guess there will always be people who will get away with crime."

@Gowjas commented:

"They'll never send an Orlando Pirates player to jail while Madala is still around. They failed with Tso, but a certain Sundowns player was sentenced to a maximum jail term in Mangaung prison where Bester is."

@Scorpio68147972 replied:

"Celebrities, footballers, and politicians are getting away with this issue of GBV, and it will never end. People are working hard to raise awareness and advocate for change, but with this favouritism judgment, GBV punishment is for the poor."

Read also

Foreign suspect arrested in R200M drug bust in Johannesburg

@Obakeng_Ona responded:

"Basically, he must never ever lay a hand on a Woman in 5 years."

@KhomotsoLesiba wrote:

"There goes our justice system."

@CAIPHUSMKHATSHA shared:

"That's how the justice system operates for people who have money. How will GBV end in this country? Our sisters and mothers will continue to live in fear because justice is not served, and the perpetrators of this horrific crime must be brought to justice."

Lorch owing Fundiswa money stalls eviction

Briefly News previously reported on claims that Lorch failed to throw Fundiswa out of his house because he owed her an estimated R140K.

An investigator close to the matter shared that Lorch had plans to get an eviction order against Fundiswa after his arrest in 2020. The South African states that Fundiswa requested Lorch pay her money back before she left.

Source: Briefly News